A decorative covering, or cupola, may be used to house a photocontrol receptacle and/or photocontrol and attached to an outdoor light fixture. Generally, a photocontrol is a sensor that monitors the amount of light available from light sources, for example the sun, other than the attached light fixture and controls the operation of the light source contained in the light fixture. For example, a photocontrol sensor may automatically turn the attached lights on at dusk and off at dawn.
Conventional cupola assemblies include a housing attached to the light fixture with a cupola base secured, such as by using screws, to the housing. The photocontrol is contained in a cupola base and connected to a photocontrol receptacle. The photocontrol receptacle is connected to the cupola base or the light fixture, such as by screws, and contains wiring or other structure that connects the photocontrol to an electric power source and/or the light fixture to allow the photocontrol to control the light source contained inside the light fixture. The cupola base includes a window or other opening to allow the photocontrol to monitor the amount of light outside of the cupola. A removable cupola cover is connected to the top of the cupola base as a decorative feature or to protect the photocontrol sensor or the light fixture from the environment.
The orientation of the photocontrol receptacle often needs adjusting to align the photocontrol sensor with the cupola base window. To adjust the photocontrol receptacle in conventional cupolas, a user must remove the cupola cover, use a screwdriver or other tool to disconnect the photocontrol receptacle from the cupola base on the light fixture, rotate the photocontrol receptacle to the desired position, reattach the photocontrol receptacle using a screwdriver or other tool, and reattach the cupola cover. This process can be time consuming and frustrating to a user.
In addition, the orientation of the cupola base window and photocontrol sensor often requires adjustment. For instance, the cupola base window may need to be adjusted away from the direction of the rising or setting sun to obtain a desirable control of the light source contained in the light fixture. Similarly, the cupola base window may need to be adjusted to point the window, and likewise the photocontrol sensor, away from other light sources that may affect the performance of the photocontrol sensor in controlling the light source contained in the light fixture. To adjust the cupola base window orientation, a user must typically remove the cupola cover, remove the photocontrol receptacle by using a screwdriver or other tool, detach the cupola base from the fixture housing by using a screwdriver or other tool, rotate the cupola base such that the cupola base window is oriented in the desired direction, reattach the cupola base to the fixture housing, reattach the photocontrol receptacle, and reattach the cupola cover. This process can also be time consuming and frustrating, especially if the user must repeat this procedure due to the changing lighting conditions around the cupola and/or a desire for changing the amount of light receivable by the photocontrol.
Therefore, a need exists for a cupola assembly that does not require the user to adjust the orientation of the photocontrol with respect to the cupola base window and prevents the photocontrol from becoming misaligned with the cupola base window. A need also exists for a cupola assembly that allows a user to adjust the orientation of the photocontrol sensor and, correspondingly, the orientation of the cupola base window without using tools.